Boxing

7:56 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN The most-avoided-fighter-in-boxing label is not just a badge of honor, it’s also an unfathomable test of patience for the person who bears it. That status is earned, if you truly can earn something you don’t want, by virtue of a few different attributes. The fighter has to be immensely talented

2:16 PM ET Undisputed junior middleweight and IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight champion Claressa Shields has signed a multifight deal worth seven figures with European broadcast company Sky Sports and the BOXXER promotion company. The deal for up to three fights will pay Shields an undisclosed seven-figure sum over the length of the contract. That

7:50 AM ET Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields and Amanda Serrano continue to lead the way in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings. But Mikaela Mayer gained some ground and solidified her spot in the top 5 with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Maiva Hamadouche to unify the WBO and IBF junior lightweight world titles. In

5:47 AM ET Tyson Fury was “badly injured” before his action-packed victory over Deontay Wilder last month and has since had a six-hour surgery to correct the problem, his father, John, has said. Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) retained his WBC heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he scored a highlight-reel knockout

1:03 PM ET Former NBA point guard Deron Williams will fight ex-NFL running back Frank Gore in a boxing match on the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury undercard on Dec. 18 in Tampa, Florida, it was announced Tuesday. Williams and Gore will be making their pro boxing debuts. The bout is contracted for 215 pounds and four

8:37 AM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Kid Galahad is looking forward to making a first world title defence in front of his home city fans in Sheffield, England, on Saturday,

7:58 AM ET It was an eventful week in the world of boxing. Canelo Alvarez claimed the vast majority of headlines as he became the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world by knocking out Caleb Plant on Saturday. So naturally, attention immediately turned toward what’s next for boxing’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter. In the

1:20 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez was, at one point in his career, reserved and respectful ahead of his massive showcase fights — a departure from the traditional fighter archetype. Despite his calm demeanor, Canelo was still the biggest attraction in boxing due to his incredible fighting prowess and his legion

12:42 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez entered the ring as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and the sport’s biggest attraction. But now, for the first time in his career, he can call himself something else: undisputed champion. Alvarez promised to punish Caleb Plant, and on Saturday he did just

6:10 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Canelo Alvarez faces Caleb Plant on Saturday (Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET, prelims at 6 p.m. ET) and all four major super middleweight title belts are on the line. The bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will be for Alvarez’s WBA, WBO and WBC titles and

1:33 AM ET Mikaela Mayer took another step toward becoming the undisputed junior lightweight champion Friday night in Las Vegas, beating Maiva Hamadouche by unanimous decision to retain her WBO title and pick up Hamadouche’s IBF crown. Mayer won the fight 100-90, 99-91, 98-92 — with two scorecards not necessarily indicative of what happened in

9:24 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vergil Ortiz, one of the fastest rising stars in boxing, is making a change. The undefeated welterweight has long been with former trainer of the year Robert Garcia. But as he prepares for his first bout of 2022, he’ll do so at Canelo Alvarez’s San Diego gym under the guidance

6:03 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — When Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant faced off in September, the boxers exchanged blows; the latter emerged with a cut under his right eye. This time, with tensions at a fevered pitch, security ensured the fighters didn’t throw any punches (but still allowed them to be close

7:00 AM ET EDDY REYNOSO IS carrying Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez on his shoulders. It’s Cinco de Mayo weekend, one of the most important days in boxing. And the two, Reynoso as trainer, Álvarez as his boxer, are celebrating another win surrounded by the largest indoor crowd to ever watch a boxing match in the United

6:34 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Even during those hot summer days spent in a trailer park outside Nashville, Tennessee, Caleb Plant knew he was meant for so much more. Personal tragedy served to strengthen that steely resolve. His daughter, Alia, died three months shy of her second birthday. Just over four years

7:51 AM ET The final two months of 2021 offer a range of big fights for women: Claressa Shields returns to the ring. Katie Taylor fights again. Mikaela Mayer and Maiva Hamadouche fight on Friday night (8 p.m. on ESPN+) to start to unify the junior lightweight division and a week later, Dina Thorslund and

3:49 PM ET NEW YORK — Kamaru Usman has one of the top fighters in the world in his crosshairs. It just so happens that it’s not a fellow MMA fighter. The UFC welterweight champion and ESPN’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound mixed martial artist said Wednesday at UFC 268 media day that he is targeting a

4:03 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Nonito Donaire and Reymart Gaballo have agreed to a deal for a 118-pound title fight on Dec. 11 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, sources told ESPN. Undefeated prospect Brandun Lee will meet Juan Heraldez at 140 pounds in another bout on the Showtime tripleheader, sources said. Donaire